13 February 2012: The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) concluded the seventh round of the Pacific Islands Countries Trade Agreement (PICTA) negotiations in Nadi, Fiji, on 10 February 2012. The seventh round of negotiations was focused on refining the proposed agreement on trade in services.

According to PIFS, participating countries agreed to a framework for final engagement of key stakeholders, and for progressing the finalization of the PICTA trade in services text and the related schedule of commitments. These will be considered by the Pacific members of the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Trade Officials and Ministers, in May 2012, which will then make recommendations to the Pacific Leaders Meeting, in August 2012.

The PICTA trade in services commitments focus on economic sectors with common priorities for all Forum Island Countries (FICs), notably tourism, transportation and business services. In addition, individual FICs are making commitments in specific economic sectors of importance to them, taking into account their capacity to open up their economies to other FICs. Members of the Pacific Islands Forum include Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshal Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. [PIFS Press Release]